Sunday, July 01, 2007

Book bemews

Still raining in Wimbledon! So here goes:

After Dark by Haruki Murakami

No idea what it's about. My guess is, he's been writing the same stories over and over again only he's taking to telling it more and more, which I find annoying. Fell asleep five dozen times reading it. Last H. Murakami fiction I'll ever buy, I swear. Although I do say that after reading each of his novels.

Born on a Blue Day by Daniel Tammet

I'm not convinced he wrote it himself but I'm convinced that I'm probably wrong. Most amazing fact from the book: his folks had eight (or is it nine?) kids.

Chinese Christians: Elites, Middlemen and the Church in Hong Kong by Carl T. Smith

In the 19th century English got you places in Hong Kong. Chinese people like to have many different names which English speaking folk like to transliterate in many different ways.

Godless Morality: keeping religion out of ethics by Richard Holloway

Very good. If you think Christianity sucks you will like this. Written by a Christian (the smart kind).

Time Travel by Herbie Brennan

I bought it for O having in mind his interest in Doctor Who. I didn't understand half of it although it is written for 8 year olds. I am going to read it again, and take notes this time.

The Humour of Kierkegaard: an anthology by Thomas C. Oden

Side splitting stuff. No, really.

2 comments:

Project WANNABE said...

Hey, Pierre. I've been out for a while.

I had maybe a little bit similar experience with Murakami. Every time I finish one, I'm like, what was that? Fluff? But let me try just one more. To be sure. I've gone through five or so that way. I'm through with that guy. I'm serious.

But I haven't read After Dark yet. I'm thinking I should give it a try!

Pierre said...

I started reading his earlier stuff when I was much younger, and in Chinese translations instead of English, and the overall feel is quite different. Like Norwegian Woods and Dance Dance Dance, I read them in Chinese first and then in English again many years later. Was it because I was younger that I found those books more magical in Chinese translations? I do not know.

I also read his non-fiction book about the Sari gas attacks in the Tokyo underground, I think it is called "Underground". I learned a lot about Japanese society from reading it.